Bangkok

In the Ayutthaya period Bangkok was a small trading and customs post on the river. After the Burmese destroyed Ayutthaya in 1767, King Taksin set up his capital at Thonburi on the west bank. In 1782 King Rama I moved the capital to the east bank, founding the city officially on 21 April and building the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew at its heart; the date marks the start of the Rattanakosin period and the Chakri dynasty that still reigns.

Through the 19th and 20th centuries the city grew from a waterborne town of canals and floating houses into a modern capital, with many canals filled in for roads. Rapid growth from the 1960s onwards made Bangkok the economic centre of Thailand, and today the city has about nine million residents, with more than 17 million in the wider metropolitan region.

Daily life in Bangkok revolves around food: street vendors serve rice, noodles and grilled meats from early morning until late, and shared dishes are eaten at all hours. Monks collect alms at dawn in many neighbourhoods, and shrines on street corners and outside office towers receive daily offerings. The monarchy is deeply respected, and the national anthem is played in public places at 08:00 and 18:00, when people stop and stand.